The Things Left Unsaid
by A Beautiful Contradiction
Summary: A simple ShikaIno one shot. Character death. Very sad. Make sure you have a tissue handy.


**Second Naruto fic. Made for my creative writing class. What grade would you give me? lol. But for real, I'd like to know if I get an A, B, C, D, or F.**

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There are some things in life that you can be sure will happen: growing up, loving someone, and dying. But life can't determine exactly who you will love, or if they will love you in return. For 18 year old Ino, life would deal her a cruel hand. Not only did she love, but she loved with an unconditional heart. Now, of course, this doesn't seem so bad, to love with an unconditional heart, but there is a cruel twist in the story. She stood there and watched her love lying there before her, bloody and bruised, with doctors telling her he could die at any moment. To have your love for someone pent up inside you, for fear of them knowing the truth, for so long had its effect on Ino, and it was getting to become too much for the young ninja. Life had already taken away her family and her teammates, why did it now wish to take away the only person that she cared the most for? Why couldn't their placed have been switched? Her love's breathing staggered, then turned bubbly as blood built up in his lungs. Doctors turned him on his side, allowing the blood to be purged from the lungs. One of the older doctors yelled for one of the nurses to get all unauthorized personnel out of there. The youngest nurse, also a friend of Ino's, led her out with difficulty for something in Ino's mind snapped and told her to stay by her love's side. Struggling with all her might, but to no avail, Ino's breathing became faster and shorter. Pure adrenaline began coursing through her veins, causing her heart rate to increase. She fought back the burning sensation in the back of her throat and the blurriness of fresh tears in her eyes. With all her might and resolve, she took as big of a breath as she could muster and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Dammit Shikamaru! Don't you even think about dying on me, do you hear? Show me you're still fighting, and you're still worth fighting for! Wake up!" Her nurse-friend struggled to keep her grip on Ino's arm as she tried to pull her into the CCU waiting room. Ino, on the other hand, had different plans. She slipped her arm out of her friend's grasp and ran at full speed towards her love. Everything and everyone that was in her way quickly became acquainted with the hard tile flooring as Ino continued her sprint to the room. Pushing her way past the doctors and security, Ino once again began her pleading with her critically injured love.

"Shika, I know we've been hurt a lot through the years, and I know that life isn't fair, but I refuse to go through life without the only person I really and truly love! You had better pull through this, or I'll follow you into the afterlife and kick your ass, do you hear me? Quit being so lazy that you don't even want to save your own life! Open your eyes!" Ino's pain mixed with her anger and sorrow into one big emotion she couldn't recognize. The doctors who weren't on the floor thanks to Ino began to gently pull her away from the critically injured ninja, afraid for both of their well beings if this scenario continued unchecked. Ino pried herself away from them again.

"I said open your eyes! Show me you're still the strong warrior I said you were!" The air was thick with tension as the doctors by the door called for security to escort Ino out. Everyone closer to the bed, however, watched as the broken man in the bed cracked an eye to the blonde-haired ninja yelling at her. A half hearted hint of a smile graced his lips, and Ino could feel fresh tears spring from her eyes.

"Ino, I know… how you feel about me. I've known… for a while. I just… wanted to let you know… that I feel the same about you, and that… I'm sorry I didn't… tell you sooner." The man breathed as he closed his eyes again. The heart monitor that he was hooked up to began to slow down, causing alarm with the doctors, who pushed a stunned Ino out of the way. Her nurse-friend from earlier helped her to a wheelchair where she administered a sedative to calm her down. As Ino was wheeled out of the room and into a different one, all she could hear was the high pitched flat tone of the heart monitor. And in her heart, Ino knew life had come crashing down all over again.

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